Do you know when your teacher interview starts?
It’s not when you sit down, across from the hiring manager. It’s not when you shake the hiring manager’s hand.
It’s when you submit your teacher resume.
In fact, this is the most overlooked and most important part of the interview. Without a good resume, you won’t be invited for the real interview. So we have made a step-by-step guide to crafting the perfect teacher resume.
Perfect Teacher Resume Checklist
- Download our Resume Worksheet
- Download Our Resume Templates
- Follow Our Instructions
And you can craft the perfect teacher resume!
Download Resume Templates Resume Worksheet
Meet JT Mason!
We are going to join JT on his mission to get hired. First, and most importantly, is the teacher resume!
The resume is your first impression. It lets them know you are right for the job.
Let’s walk through this simple process to help JT build a teacher resume, secure an interview, and get hired.
Choose Your Resume Template
For a teaching job, you need to use a chronological resume template. It is the most common type and what HR specialist are familiar seeing.
Choose one of the designs below and use the information on the worksheet to fill in the resume template. Click the button below to download all three templates in a zip file. Choose the template you like best and then keep scrolling down the page for a step-by-step breakdown of how to fill out each section of the teacher resume.
Download Resume TemplatesWriting Your Resume
Use the teacher resume worksheet you completed to guide you. Simply walk through one of the resume templates above, section by section.
Objective Statement Section
This is your introductory statement to the teacher resume. It is typically one sentence answering the question, “What are you wanting and why are you applying for this job?”
Provide a simple answer: “Obtain a position as a secondary Mathematics teacher where I can use my real-world experience to positively impact student learning.” It does not need to be complex, it needs to be clear.
Resources for Writing a Strong Objective Statement:
- 40+ Resume Objective Examples
- Resume Objective Examples and Writing Tips
- 15 Top Resume Objectives Examples
- How to Write Objective Statement – Monster.com
Education Section
This the “just the facts” section. Stay away from selling yourself too much in this section. Keep this section extremely simple: School, Date, Degree, GPA (if high), and maybe an academic honor you received. Then, move on to the next section.
Only include relevant extracurricular activities. Intramural football champion is never relevant.
Place education section above experience section if you are a recent college graduate and/or your work experience is short.
Experience Section
The experience section is truly the meat of your teacher resume.
This is the first and singular chance you have to show an employer you have relevant experience to excel in the job you are desiring. You need to think about 
ways in which you have demonstrated relevant, transferrable skills.
“Will this person be successful in the position if I hire them?”
Let’s say you are applying to be a teacher and your previous work experience is being a Vet Tech and Retail Manager, like our example JT Mason. Those two jobs are nothing like a teacher, right?!
Think about what a teacher is asked to do on a daily basis; not specifically, but more general. A teacher needs to communicate with students, organize a lesson, manage a class, direct students, etc. As a Vet Tech, JT established the rules for the entire facility to work efficiently. This is surely something he would be tasked to do in a class. As a Retail Manager, JT had to manage 25 people on his team. This shows he is able to lead a team successfully.
Though certainly not the exact same as teaching, it does bridge gaps for the employer to understand your ability.
Use the action verbs listed on the worksheet to begin one sentence examples of work experience. The sentence should not be too long, but long enough to accurately describe what you did.
See our resume templates for examples on the structure of these sentences.
Your experience section should be order in reverse chronological order by date employed. (You should not have any gap in these dates. If you do, ensure you are able to explain the gap in employment as you will be asked about it in the interview.)
Community Service
This section is not required and in some resume designs, might not even fit. Use this section as an extra oomph to show your dedication to hard, purposeful work that, again, is relevant.
If you do not have quality community service experience, that is okay; you can leave this section off completely.
Relevant Training Section
Do you have a certification needed for this job? Are you working towards a certification needed for this job? List it!
Even if you plan to attach or upload the actual documentation (certificate of eligibility letter), include it on your resume. Things get lost all the time!
If you don’t have your certificate/license yet, write what you do have to show. That is, “Statement of Eligibility” or “Prescriptive Plan of Study” for Probationary/Practitioner’s license.
Interview Tips
JT landed an interview!
Congrats on writing a great teacher resume and securing an interview, now is the time to sell yourself. This is no easy task.
In fact, many colleges have semester long courses teaching this very thing. Dr. Jeff Sagar teaches Marketing 3881 – Personal Professional Development at the University of North Texas.
This class is known for having a mock interview in which the student must video record the entire interview and write a report about their performance.
Though a 3 hour college course might not be needed for you, conducting a mock interview can certainly help you. It provides you the ability to perfect answers and communicate effectively (how many “ums” did you use?).
Practice answering the questions below aloud, with a friend at least twice. Everything makes sense in your head until you say it out loud!
STAR Interview Method
Situation / Task / Action / Result
This is a very powerful and popular technique for answering job interview questions. Interview presents you a situation. You respond with the task needed in the situation. You also outline the action you took and the result from the action. Learn more about this effective technique:
Review this interview checklist before you leave your house:
- Professional Attire. Clean, ironed clothes. Hair brushed.
- Men wear a tie.
- Brushed teeth.
- Copy of resume.
- Printed list of references (to provide if asked).
- Copy of Certification held (or demonstration of eligibility).
Interview Questions
So JT got an interview, now what?! You need to prepare for some questions that might get asked so read over these questions and practice your answers. Remember, they want to know that when they hire you, you will be successful.
- What is your educational background?
- List five adjectives that describe yourself.
- What is one of your weaknesses, and how are you working to improve it?
- When did you decide to become a teacher, and why did you choose this field?
- What personal strengths do you find especially helpful in your teaching?
- What do you like most about teaching as a career?
- What is your least favorite aspect of teaching?
- What is your philosophy of education?
- Describe your teaching style.
- How do you structure your time to manage all of the duties associated with teaching?
- What do you think is the greatest challenge facing students today?
- What is the most difficult aspect of teaching today?
- What are the qualities of an excellent teacher?
- What is your approach to classroom management?
- Describe your best professional development experience.
- Describe your ideal lesson.
- Describe your planning process for a major project or unit.
- Describe your planning process for a major project or unit.
- What plans do you have for the integration of technology in your own classroom?
- How have and will you address your students’ different learning styles?
- How do you modify your teaching to reach students who are struggling to perform at grade level?
- How do you provide support for students with exceptional ability?
- If most of the students in your class failed an assignment, test, or project, how would you respond?
- What do you want students to remember about your class?
- What steps would you follow to deal with a student who displays consistent behavioral problems in your classroom?
- What could a visitor to your class expect to see?
- Why should you be hired for this position?
Helpful Teacher Resources & Links
Below is a comprehensive list of a variety of resources to help you develop the best resume you can.Use the links below to finalize your product. We strongly suggest completing a first draft of your resume prior to looking at these links!